Explosive-engine.



Pafiented Dec. 27, 1910.

3 BHEETS-SHEET 1.

P. W. SPRINGER.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 23, 1908. 980, 1 34,

i I y M in F. W. SPRINGER.

EXPLOSIVE ENGINE.

uruonxon rum) NOV. 2a, 1908.

.980, 1 34. Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

fflizvlwa I j w/ [mam {0P g, a 7 v WQM FRANK W. SPRINGER, OF MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

EXPLOSIVE-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 27, 1910.

Application filed November 23, 1908. Serial No. 464,025.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK W.-S1 RING R, a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at Minneapolis, in the county of Hennepin and State of Minnesota, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Explosive- Engines; and I do hereby declare the fol lowing to be a full. clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to two-cycle explosive engines and has for its objectto improve the same in the several particulars hereinafter set forth,

The invention consists of the novel devices and combinations of devices hereinafter de scribed and defined in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings I have illustrated my invention as applied to a twocylinder two-cycle explosive engine of the simple piston type, and in the drawings 'which illustrate the same, like characters indicate like parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, Figure 1 18 a view chiefly. in front elevation, but with some parts sectioned and with some parts broken away, showing the improved engine; Fig 2 is a vertical section taken on the line 0: m of F ig. 1; Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view in an approximately horizontal section on line 1: m of Fig. 2, when the piston is in the upper or outermost position, showing the arts 'on a'larger scale and some parts being roken away; Fig. 4 is a vertical section taken through a portion of the engine crank shaft, and its bearings, some parts being broken away; Fig. 5 is a section taken on the line as. of Fig. 4; and Fig. 6 is a detailed view, partly in elevation and partly in section, showing a. spraying nozzle which is .plaoed 1n the exhaust pipe of the engine.

Referring first to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to (i inclusive, the numeral 1 indicates the cylinder casting. having the usual-internal combustion or working cylinder 2, and the upper portion of which is shown as wateracketed. The lower end ofthe cylinder casting 1- is flanged and is bolted or otherwise detachably secured with a gas tight joint to a base casting 3, which carries the crank chamber 4 into which the pumping ,end of said cylinder 2 directly opens. The shell of this crank chamber 4:,

as shown, is formed in part integral with the base casting 3, but preferably it is made up of three parts detachably connected by bolts 5 and 6, respectively, at horizontal gas tight joints 7 and 8. The cylinder casting 1 is formed preferably with a relatively long transfer passage 9 that leads upward from the crank chamber 4 and opens through a port 10 into one side of the working cylinder 2. The port 10 is preferably divided by one or more vertical bridges, as shown by the cylinder ports 25 in Fig. 3. The exhaust port 11 preferably opens from the cylinder 2 through the'cylinder casting 1 at a point diametrically opposite to the port 10 and,

as shown, it leads to an exhaust pipe 12, the end of which is connected to aflanged coupling sleeve 13 ri 'dly but detachaly secured to the cylind screws 14. Also the cylinder castingil near its lower portion is provided with a primary admission port 15, and farther up it is formed with a secondary or auxiliary ad- 'mission port 16, frequently designated a The two ports 15-and 16,v

third port. communicate with valve casing 17, but the passage between said casing and-the port 15 is normally closed by a spring-pressed, inwardly opening check valve 18;

The engine illustrated in the drawings being a two-cylinder engine, it will 'be un-' derstood that the description above given applies to both cylinders.

The two so-called valve casings 17 are in communication with a connecting pi e 19, which at its ends is detachably secure with a gas tight joint to the said two valve casings, being, as shown, held by screws 20.'

The intermediate'portion of the pipe 19 is in'comniunication with a fuel mixture supply pipe 21, which, when the engine is to be run by vaporized gasolene. or hydro-carbon er casting-"by c apoil, will lead from asuitable carbureternot connect with the upper end of the transfer passage-or port 10 at 25, as shown in Fig. 3, by means of the duplicatefpistoi channels and ports 46, when the piston is in the up'- .per position. The ports24 of the two cyl nders are in gommunication with the In the supply pipe 21 is a throttle .23 of the heretofore described throttle valve 22, so that the said two. throttle valves will be simultaneously opened and simultaneousl closed. I

T e numeral 32 indicates a s arking plug of standard or any other suitable construction and which is applied at the upper end of the cylinder casting 1 with its electrodes ex osed inthe upper extremity of the workcy inder 2.

Working in each cylinder 2 is a hollow piston 33 having. an internal wrist pin 34, to the up er end of which connecting rod 35 is journa ed. The lower ends of the connect mg rods 35 of both pistons are connected to cranks 36 of the engine crank shaft 37. The crank shaft 37 has three hearings, towit, one located between the two crank shaft compression chambers 4 and one located outside of each of the said chambers 4. The lower halves of these three bearings 38 are, as shown, cast integral with the intermediate sections of the compression crank shaft chambers 4, and the lower sections of said chambers are bolted thereto. The uppermost sections of the chambers 4 (see particul'arl Figs. 1, 4 and 5) are formed with semi-cy indrical arches 39 that loosely overlap the journals of the crank shaft immediately adjacent to their cranks, and these are recessed to receive packing strips 40 pref- I erably of pliable oil absorbing material,

ings in working positions.

such as felt. The lower ends of strips 44 are fastenedin recesses below the center line of the box, as shown in Fig. 5. The upper half sections or caps 41 of the three shaft bearings are of semi-cylindrical form and the are formed with flanges through which an flanges of the lower halves of said bearings, nutted bolts 42 are passed to rigidly but det'achably hold the upper half of said hear- The lower and upper half bearin s are preferably provided with sectional bus 1in gs 43 of Babbitt or other suitable material. With this construction the upper half hearings or caps 41 may be removed at anytime without disturbing the lower half bearings and, hence, without moving the crank shaft from its working osition. Also this permits the said upper alf bearings tobe independently adjusted to the proper'engagementwith the 'ournals. For instance, by the use of proper s imming platesor by. filing off the lower portions of said upper bearings, they may be adjusted to; proper tightness on the journals of the shaft and this may be determined by attempting to rock thecap 41 before it has been tightened or by rotating the crank shaft after the caps 41 have been tightened.

Small spaces are left between the abutting ends of the upper caps or half bearings 41 and of the adjacent arches 39, and these spaces, after the bearing has been properly adjusted, may be calked or covered with packing material 44, which will form gas tight joints. This packing material 44 may it is secured by semi-circular clamping bands 45 placed over the same and secured (it their ends by screws, or otherwise, to the casting, the piston 33 is provided near its lower extremity with cooperating fresh air channels or passages and ports 46, there being one of these channels for cooperation with each pair of said ports 24 and 25, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. At its closed upper end, the piston carries a deflecting flange 47 which, when the piston is in its extreme lowermost position, stands between the exhaustport 11 and the port 10 of the transfer passage 9 and serves to dcficct upward the incoming charge of fresh air and explosive mixture. 7

In each exhaust pipe 12 is a spraying nozzle or nose afforded by a short pipe section 48having a plugged upper end with small discharge passages 49 and 50. The passsages 49 are arranged to discharge directly 'upward and sidewise while the passages 50 position of the piston, shown in Fig. 2, said piston closes the ports 15, 16 and 24, but uncovers the port 10, of which 25 is a part, of the transfer passage 9. Under its upward moven'lent, the piston is given a slight initial be secured in different ways, but preferably movement which is approximately sullicient to produce a. partial vacuum which will overcome the spring of the check valve 18 and,

hence, force the said valve open the instant the port 15 is opened, by movement of the piston above the same. Ilcnce, under the continued upward and accelerated movement of the piston, the check valve 18 will be held open and the explosive mixture will be drawn into the pump cylinder and crank shaft chamber 4. Also, the initial upward anovcment of the piston closes first the port 10 of the transfer passage 9 and then the exhaust-port 11. Near the limit of its up ward movement, the piston uncovers the soopen valve. Approximately simultaneously with the opening of the secondary admission port 16, the ports 46 in the piston are ron htinto re istration with the cooperating resh air a mission ports 24 and 25 of the cylinder and this connects the fresh air 1 supply pipe- 26-27 with the upper extremity crank' chamber will into t ahead of the charge of gas which of the transfer passage 9 and permits two opposing streams of fresh air to be drawn into the said passage 9 in a quantity sufficient to fill the same, and to press back the fuel mixture. This, of course, takes place at a time when the port 10 of said transfer passage 9 is closed to the working cylinder 2. It is also, of course, understoodthat under the upward movement of the piston the charge of gas contained in the cylinder above the piston is com ressed and that this charge will be explode at the proper time when the piston is a proximatelyin its uppermost position. Under the downward movement of the piston, produced by the exploded charge, the piston by its initial movement closes the secondary admission port 16 and the fresh air admission ports 24 and 25. The check valve 18 under the downward move ment of-the piston will, of course, be held closed and the port 10 of the transfer passage 9 will remain closed until the piston reaches approximately, its lowermost position. Hence, of course, the charge drawn into the crank shaft chamber and um cylinder will be compressed under t e ownward movement of the piston and, when the piston reaches its lowermost position and opens first exhaust port 11 and immediately thereafter opens the port 10 of the transfer passage, the compressed charge from said through e cylinder, above the piston, and the burning gases from the last exploded charge willbe blown out of the cylinder through the exhaust port 11- and exhaust pipe 12. It is here important to note that the fresh air drawn into the transfervport 9, when the iston is in its up )ermost position, will be blown into the cy inder above the iston, ollows from the crank shaft chamber 4. This fresh air first striking the deflecting flange 47 will have a. tendency to cool the same. and will be deflected upward so that it will force the dead gases ahead of it out through exhaust port 11. More or less of this fresh air the throttle valve 28. throttle valves above described are connected forced upward. the transfer passage 9 and port 10' may also follow the dead gases out through. the exhaust port, but no part of the incoming charge of explosive mixture will be blown out through the said exhaust port and, hence, complete scavenging of the cylinder without waste of fuel mixture is insured. Also the fresh air, which is held as a plug in the transfer passage 9, when the port 10 ofthe transfer passage 9 is first opened, prevents back-firing into the engine base or compression chamber, by effectually separating the burning gases from the fresh incoming charge. Approximately at the time that the exhaust port ll is opened, and before port 10 is opened, the primary admission port- 15 is closed by the piston, thereby assisting the check valve 18, in preventing leakage. This port 15 is thus closed by the piston approximately throughout the lower quarter of the crank movement, and during all the time that there is connection between the work-cylinder 2 and the nmp-cylinder 4. The spray of water from tiie nozzle pipe 48 serves to cool the exhausted gases and thus to condense the same and, therefore, greatly reduce the back pressure on the incomin charge and alsonoise produced by the ex aust.

The, amount of gas or explosive vapor that will be drawn into the engine under each rgciprocation of the piston may be reg-- ulated by adjustments of the throttle valve 22, and the amount of fresh air that will be drawn into the transfer passage 9 and from thence into the crank shaft compression chamber may be varied by adjustments of When the said two for. common adjustments, adesired proportion of ex )losive mixture, in respect to the amount 0 fresh air which will be drawn mto the compression-crank shaft chamber or base, under each. reciprocation of the piston,-

may be maintained.

That I claimis:

1. In a two-cycle expiosive engine, a cylin der having an explosive end, a crank case or umping end and a transfer passage connecting the crank case-or pumping and of said cylinder with the working or .explosion end thereof, when the piston is at the end of its workin stroke,.said cylinder also having circumfi rentially spaced fresh air intake ports, one of which is connected to the atmospherc and the other of which is connected to the delivery end of said transfer passage, and the said iston having a passage extending through t e body thereof and tor minating in circumferentially spaced ports working stroke.

2. In a two-cycle explosive engine, der having an explosive end, a crank case or pumping end and a transfer passage connect mg tie pumping end of said cylinder to the working or explosion end thereof, when the piston is at the end of its working stroke, and having on each side of said transfer passage circnniferentially spaced fresh air intake ports, the inner ll'lCl'llbOFS of which are connected to the delivery end of said transfer passage and the outer members of which are connected to the atmosphere, and the piston having, on opposite sides of said transfer passage, air passages extended through the ody'portion of said piston and each terini mating in circumferentially spaced ports arranged to connect: the circumferentially spaced inner'and outer ports of said cylinder, when said piston is at the beginning of its working stroke, whereby two opposing streams of fresh air are caused to meet in the delivery end of said transfer passage, substantially as described.-

3. In a two-cycle explosive engine, a cylinder having an explosion end, a crank case or pump end an exhaust port, a fresh air intake passage, and a transfer passage coi'nieeling 1ts working and pumping ends, a fuel supply passage eonnected to the pumping end of said cylinder, a piston in said cylinder arranged to open said transfer passage and exhaust port when at the end of its working stroke and to connect said fresh air intake port. to the delivery end of the said transfer passage when said piston is at the beginning of its working stroke, a val e in said fresh air intake passage, a valve in said fuel supply passage, and a meehanical connection between said two valves whereby the control of the relative amounts of the explosive mixture admitted t the pumping end of the said cylinder and the fresh air admitted to said transfer passage may be regulated.

In testimony whereof I allix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK. \V SPRINGER.

\Vitnesses II. 1). Knieonn, F. D. MERCHANT. 

